Pill dispensing container



y 18, H. APFELBAUM I PILL DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed NOV. 9, 1942 I Hana L.- 14 95 5225 ATTORNEY v Patented July 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PILL DISPENSING CONTAINER Huna L. Apfelbaum, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Victor Metal Products Corporation, Brooklyn,

N. Y.. acorporation of New York Application November 9, 1942, Serial No. 465,015 2 Claims. (01. 206-42) This invention relates to containers or vials for holding and dispensing pills, tablets and the like. The invention contemplates the provision of a generally elongated container, such as a vial or pill box, having an axially slidable cap or cover provided with a side discharge opening which may be brought manually into registration with a corresponding side opening in the container part to permit the discharge of a single pill at a time, the cap normally closing the opening and preventing entrance of contaminating matter into the container.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a dispensing pill container adapted to be held in one hand of theuser and readily operated by a finger of said hand, the entire container being made preferably of but two parts each adapted to be readily and economically molded of suitable plastic material.

The invention further contemplates the provision of simple and efficient means for slidably holding the cap part to the container part and for limiting the relative movement thereof, which means also permits the ready assembly of the two parts after the container has been filled with the pills'to be dispensed.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the container in its open or pill-discharging position, showing a pill dropping out therefrom.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary combined rear view and Vertical section of the container in the normal or closed position thereof.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same taken on the line 33'of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary combined side view and vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front view of the upper portion of the container part showing the reduced extension of the guide slot.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example, both the cap I0 and the container part II are preferably, though not necessarily molded of suitable plastic material, it being understood however, that other suitable material such as metal, paper or the like in sheet or tubular form may be used instead if desired and if available.

The container part I I is closed at its lower end and open at its upper end edge I 2, the cap I B being slidably fitted into said open end totelescope with slight frictional resistance into and out of the container part. Extending downwardly from the edge I2 and through the wall of the container part is the discharge opening I3, preferably rounded at its bottom edge; Spaced circumferentially at about from the opening is the guide slot I4 which is parallel to the axes of the cap and the container part. As shown best in Fig. 5, the slot 14 has spaced parallel edges I5, I6 terminating at their upper ends at a point slightly below the top edge I2. Extending downwardly from said top edge and into the slot I4 is the reduced slot portion I1, narrower at its bottom part than the slot I4 and preferably widened at the upper edge to provide a downwardly converging taper. A pair of spaced shoulders I8, 59 are thereby formed at the top of the slot I4 to engage the finger piece 29 projecting from the cap through the slot I4, said shoulders limiting the upward movement-of'said finger piece in the slot.

The finger piece is preferably molded integrall with the cap and engages the bottom of the slot M when the cap is in its normal position shown in Fig. 2. In this position, the top surface 2| of the cap is preferably, though not necessarily coplanar or flush with the edge I2. It will be noted that the preferably'cylindrical wall of the container part. is comparatively thinand therefore slightly flexible. -I utilize the flexibility of the wall to assemble'theparts. Such flexibility of theupper part of thewall is increased by the freeing of that portion of the wall-between the opening I 3 and the slots !4, I I, from the remainder of the Wall, by means of said opening and slots. parts yield enough to permit the finger piece to be forced downwardly through the normally narrower slot I7 into the wider slot I4, the sides of the slot spreading apart under the longitudinal pressure of the finger piece by reason Of their taper resulting in a cam action, said slot sides spri ging together after the release of the spreading pressure thereon to confine the finger piece in the slot .14 and to hold the cap in place against separation from the container part. I

It will be understood that prior to the assembly 'of the cap to-the container part as above described, said part is filled with the pills to be dispensed or other contents. The top of the cap is closed by the wall 22, but the bottom is open and communicates with the interior of the container part, the depending wall 23 of the cap preferably being long enough to cover the slot I4 and to extend past the bottom of the dis- Consequently, the thus freed wallcharge opening l3 when the cap is collapsed or telescoped into the container part and the finger piece is at the bottom of the slot [4 (Fig. 2). The wall 22 normally therefore, not only excludes foreign matter from the interior of the container part, but also provides an adequate bearing on the inner surface of the container part to prevent any material rocking action of the cap during its opening movement on upward force exerted on the finger piece.

To expose the discharge opening I?) when the cap is partly projected or extended beyond the container part, said cap is' formed with the opening 24 in the wall 23 in axial alignmentwith the opening 13, and extending upwardly from the bottom edge of said wall a distance substantiallythe same as the height of the opening 13. By reason of the opening 25 the resiliency of the lower edge portion of the cap is increased so that by squeezing inwardly the edges of the opening 24 to contract the edge part of the cap, the finger piece may be forced upwardly out of the slot. This may be done if it becomes desirable to refill the container part.

While both openings maybe of any suitable shape, I prefer to round theupper edge of the opening 24 and the lower edge of the opening l3. The cap and container part may also have any desired cross-sectional shape, circular, polygonal or otherwise, since they merely slide relatively and do not rotate.

' The container is easily held in one hand of the user and operated by the thumb or a finger of that hand to open it. On tilting the container to the position of Fig. 1, the pills drop down to the then registering openings 13 and 24 and a pill drops therethrough out of the container, after which the container is righted and the cap closed or collapsed by pushing it in or by operating the finger piece as may be found convenient.

'It will be understood that various changes may be made from the structure shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A two piece dispensing container of the pocket type formed of non-metallic and substantiallygrigid plastic material comprising a first elongated tubular container part-having a wall of the same cross sectional size and shape throughout its length, one end of said art being closed and the other end being open, said wall havinga longitudinal slot therein extending from the end edge surrounding the open end toward the closed end, the slot having a constricted portion slightly below and adjacent said end edge, said wall also having an opening therein extending downwardly from said end'edge a distance less than the length of the slot, the opening being in circumferentially spaced relation to the slot and cooperating with said slot to reduce the rigidity of the end edge portion of the-wall thereby to permit the finger piece hereinafter mentioned to be forced downwardly through the constricted portion of the slot and into the lower portion of the slot, the wall between the slot and the opening yielding sufficiently for that purpose, and a second elongated tubular cap part having a wall of the same cross sectional size and shape throughout its length, one end of the cap part being closed and having a thickness greater than that of the wall of said cap part, the inner and outer surfaces of said end being flat and substantially parallel, the other end being open, the cap part being longitudinally slidable in the container part manually upwardly and downwardly and being inserted thereinto with the fiat closed end of the cap part exposed and accessible to the finger of the user and the open end down, said cap parthaving a finger piece projecting radially therefrom and of greater length than its height and passing through the slot and slidable therein, said finger piece constituting the sole cap moving member and cooperating with the slot to constitute thesole means for preventing relative rotation of said parts, said cap part having an opening i the wall thereof extending from the open end thereof upwardly and in registration with the opening in the container part when the finger piece is arranged at the top of the slot, the outer surface of the end of the cap part being normally coplanar with the end edge of the container part, the finger piece being normally arranged at the bottom of the slot and'the opening in each part being normally closedby the other part, and the cap part being otherwise entirely concealed within the container part.

2. A two piece dispensing container of the pocket type formed of substantially rigid plastic material comprising an elongated tubular container part having awall of substantially the same cross sectional sizeand shape throughout its length, one end of said part being closed and the other end being open, said wall having a longitudinal slot therein extending from the end edge surrounding the open end toward the closed end, the slot having a constricted portion adjacent said end edge, said wall also having an opening therein extending downwardly from said end edge, the opening being in circumferentially spaced relation to the slot and cooperating with said slot to reduce the rigidity of the end edge portion of the wallthereby to permit the finger piece hereinafter mentioned to be forced downwardly through the constricted portion of the slot and into the lower portion of the slot, the wall between the slot and the opening yielding sufficiently for that purpose, and an elongated tubular cap part having a wall of the same cross sectional size and" shape throughout its length, one end of the cap part being closed, the other end being open, the cap part being longitudinally slidable in the container part manually and being inserted thereinto with the closed end of the cap part exposed and the open end down, said cap part having a fingerpiece projecting therefrom and passing through the slot and slidable therein, said finger piece constituting the sole cap moving member, said cap part having an opening in the Wall thereof extending from the open end upwardly and arranged in registration with the opening of the container part when the finger piece is at the top of the slot, the outer end surface of the cap part being normally coplanar with the end edge of the container part, the finger piece being normally arranged at the-bottom of the slot, and the cap part'being otherwise normally entirely concealed within the container par HUNA L. APFELBAUM. 

